Slowly Fading Pink
by Bleachigo15
Summary: Sakura is torn between her love for the village and her love for the man of her dreams. Finally making the decision that shocks everyone, Naruto, along with Team Kakashi and others, are determined to get her back. (horrible summary) xD
1. The Uchiha

**Author's Note: I have no idea where this is going. No clue whatsoever. But when I improvise fanfics like this, it always ends up being somewhat presentable. I figure out a plot halfway through, miracles happen, and TA-DA. So, enjoy.**

**Author's Note 2: This story takes place around the beginnings of the 4th GNW, when Sakura was giving everyone that bull that she was gunna kill Sasuke. It was the one time that I was on Sasuke's side. Kinda AU, kinda not.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, NaruSasu would be a thing already. But I don't. So.**

**Chapter 1**

**The Uchiha**

Raven hair flutters in the slow breeze as the young man dashed through the wilderness of the sunlit forest, desperately chasing after the man who he swore on his ancestors he would kill. Branches curl downward in a futile attempt to slow him down. His eyes flash red before quickly sidestepping the obstacles. A black cloak with the occasionally red cloud jumps over a large bush before making sharp left. Narrowed Sharingan eyes follow his movements with dangerously increasing anger. The younger Uchiha grunts before his fingers fly into jutsu signs. He closes his eyes briefly before letting a stream of fire unleash from his mouth and explode upon reaching the dry bush. Green immediately wilts into black, leaving not a trace of the foliage which stood once before. Without batting an eyelash, the raven haired teen was on his way once more, resuming his pursue into the large forest once more.

The footsteps in front of the young Uchiha abruptly stop, allowing for him to catch up. Although out of breath, the younger managed to glare at his cloaked nemesis. "Itachi," he managed to growl, eyes narrowed into slits. "What are you doing here?"

The only answer the teen received in return was a brief blowing of the wind, blowing their hair to the west. Patience wearing thin, the Uchiha heir gave a loud tsk before preparing for another jutsu. Just as lightning was about to sizzle around the powered up heir, Itachi speaks. "Foolish little brother..."

"Don't screw with me!" Sasuke yells. His fisted hand is cloaked in large bolts of lightening, his anger the only fuel. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke runs up to his elder brother, hate burning brightly in his eyes.

Itachi turns slowly to the quickly approaching threat, his true countenance covered with a cool indifferent mask...or so Sasuke thought. His hatred-filled eyes met with Itachi's Mangekyou ones, and the world seemed to bend away from under his feet, casting an unused Chidori and Uchiha into the darkness of the earth. A teardrop landed on his face as he fell into the abyss, but as to its origin, Sasuke could only wonder.

"Oi, Sasuke, are you awake?" Zetsu poked the teen awake, looming over his sleeping form on the stiff bed.

The interruption brought his dream to an erupt halt, and with a groan the Uchiha heir stirred, his dark locks sticking out in every direction but down. Rubbing the sleep from his face, Sasuke's sleepy eyes wandered around the small cavern with distaste. Although he had never regretted coming to the Akatsuki, they could had at least provided some quality rooms, rather than dank, small, and web infested ones. Darkness surrounded him until a quick fire jutsu lit a nearby torch hanging on the wall. Zetsu's flytrap banged him in the head as the half asleep teen attempted to sit up, amusing both Zetsus greatly. Scowling, Sasuke dragged himself out of bed, away from the freak of nature towering over him. Why in the world was he watching him in my sleep, that imbecile, Sasuke thought darkly to himself, rubbing his forehead absent-mindedly, I'll kill him.

"Sasuke. Where are you going?" The darker of the Zetsus questioned as Sasuke slipped into darker attire than usual.

Not bothering to dignify the inquiry with a response, Sasuke simply continued to dress, clad in a color similar to his hair. Noticing the air around the shinobi grow colder, the Zetsus wisely kept quiet as the teen finished off his outfit with a concealing dark cloak. "I'll be out for a bit," the Uchiha simply stated before vanishing into smoke. The darker Zetsu blew air through his nostril. "What do we do now? We were told to keep watch over him." A shrugged shoulder and an unreassuring chuckle later, his counterpart responded. "Maybe we should send a double to follow him."

"He'll sense that. It's too obvious." Zestu narrows his one golden eye. "Something else."

The paler half of him pales further. "I-I don't know..."

"Useless," was the curt response, and before White Zetsu could whine further, the mostly unused door to Sasuke's bedroom opened. Artificial light poured into the opening, followed by a tall figure in the Akatsuki's known wear. An orange mask with thin lines swirl toward the circle of his right eyehole disguises the face of the leader of the Akatsuki, whose undeceiving eyes sweep the room with a narrowed Sharingan. "Where is Sasuke?"

Both Zetsus shrug off the question. The lighter speaks. "He just suddenly disappeared without a trace."

The leader's deep voice rolls off the cramped walls. "I see." With a flair of his flowing cape, he is gone, killing off the only other light in the dark room as he closes the door with surprising delicacy. Zetsu, seeing no sense in staying any longer, vanishes into the shadows of the floor below.

Sunlight streams through the small crack in Naruto's window, illuminating the sleeping blond's face. Groaning loudly, the young man turned away from the sunlight, snuggling in the warmth of his thick blanket. Not a second after he settled in, the alarm clock near his bed went off, sending waves of unwanted noise over the sensitive sleep-worn ears of the sleeping teen. Sitting up with a start, the blond glared at the alarm clock, slamming a fist to turn it off. It read 8:00 AM, an hour prior to when the Hokage wanted to meet with him. Why the Fifth had wanted him to wake up at such an ungodly hour, one could only ponder. Wondering about the strange request the older woman gave him, he finally pulled himself out of bed, tiredness screaming at him to return.

The silence that filed his house was a comforting one, as Naruto had come to love in the early mornings. Sunlight filed through a nearby window, giving his small apartment a more comforting vibe. Naruto looked around his house with lonely eyes, wondering how different it would be if his parents had lived. Would he wake up to the smell of his mother making pancakes each morning? Would he see his father already wide awake, busy filling out paperwork and fulfilling duties as the busy man he was? Naruto could only wonder. Ever since meeting his parents subconsciously, seeing their happiness at his growth and upbringing, something within the blond had awakened. As if seeing for the first time that he had parents who loved him with their whole heart, watching over him day after day. Wether or not he could see them, they could see him- it was exhilarating.

He had to make them proud.

Instead of the usual ramen, Naruto pulled out a variety of fruits and vegetables. After rinsing the colorful food, he cut them up and threw the concoction into a blender, spicing it up with orange juice. As the smoothie blended, Naruto found bagels and jam to complete the breakfast. Naruto could almost feel his mother crying out of joy, watching him eat something healthy for once. Smiling to himself, the silence of the house began to give way to the quiet hum of the happy teen.

"Naruto, you're late." Narrowed cinnamon eyes drilled holes into the shinobi's head, an eyebrow arched in question. "May I ask why?"

The Hokage's office was filled with warm rays of the sun, blinding Naruto to the point of pain. Squinting against the glare, his brought a tanned hand to help shade some of the brightness. Everything in the office became a lighter shade of its original color, and it gave the area an angelic glow. Distracted, the orange clad teen glanced around the room, his eyes connecting with everything except for the Fifth's.

A scratch behind his wild yellow hair and one shrug later, Naruto responded. "I have no excuse, Tsunade-obaachan. I just..." He trailed off. The blue eyes that were as bright as the sun a second prior suddenly dimmed. Tsunade opened her glossed mouth, about to the give the ninja more grief, before Shizune burst in her office, her state of being anywhere but normal.

Officially ticked, the busty woman stood up abruptly, her aura darkened. "Shizune!" She snapped loudly. "Did or did I not tell you-!"

"It's Sakura," Shizune wheezes, her breathing uneven. "She g-gave me a drug that k-k-knocked me out for w-who knows how long. I d-don't know w-what else she put in it, b-but I feel s-sick..." Naruto's eyes widened at the announcement, and the blond woman behind him fell silent. Shizune continued, her face growing paler by the second.

"S-she told me..." Shizune stutters, leaning heavily on the doorframe to the office. Her breaths became more filled with liquid than air, and in a flash Tsunade lowered the slowly dying body in the floor, administering a healing jutsu to the woman's shuddering chest. Hard, cool eyes narrowed as the difficulty of the healing intensified. "Don't speak anymore, Shizune," she whispers, focusing all of her chakra on the task at hand.

The entire room seems to pulsate with the sick woman's shuddering breaths, each interval getting wider and wider. "Tsunade...-sama...t-there's some...thing y-you need to k-k-know..." Shizune sputters, struggling to pronounce each word. "Sakura...s-she's w-with..."

"I told you not to talk, idiot!" Tsunade barks, silently cursing at the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"...Sa...su...ke..."

Silence fills the room as the information sinks in. Shizune takes a final, painful breath before sagging under the green glow of Tsunade's healing hands. The female blond becomes still. A small sound similar to a hiccup escapes the woman's mouth, and, gritting her teeth, continues the jutsu. Naruto looks on the scene with a heavy heart, shifting his eyes away from the corpse. No words he can think of will be able to revive Tsunade's dying heart. The silence looms over the two and seems to settle comfortingly as the Hokage continued to heal and silently grieve over her fallen subordinate.

The Fifth's soft words are so elusive that Naruto had to walk forward on heavy legs in order to hear the quiet woman. "Naruto...the mission I had originally assigned you is now null and void..."

The Uzumaki's eyebrows furrowed for a completely different reason other than the rarity of a cancelled mission. Tsunade's voice was slow, dark, and had a malicious undertone. "Naruto," she whispers, sounding out his name with refined clarity, "I am going to send you on a new mission." She turned and stared at Naruto, her features carrying a darkness to them.

Naruto stood at attention, his eyes clouded over while staring at the new and 'improved' Hokage of the Fire Country. It was not a pretty sight. Her eyes were narrowed and lifeless, the light that once adorned them are now completely extinguished. Her pale cheeks began to sag slightly, as if the jutsu holding them up was wearing off. Her glossed lips were now tugged downward in an frown that would make a grown man cry. All in all, she looked like a tired and saddened old woman.

Unable to speak at the sight of this weakness, Naruto attempted to swallow but came to no avail. He remained silent and waited for his next orders. Her long bangs shielded her face from his as she spit out her next words. "I am assigning Team Kakashi, with the addition of Hinata, Kiba, and Shikamaru, on this extremely important mission that must be carried out immediately."

Speechless, Naruto just stared at her, his slow mind still unable to process the events that had just occurred. Sakura did what?

"This will be classified as a Rank S Mission!" Tsunade yells as she stands up. She turns to me with an angry and determined face, with the slighted hint of sadness behind her tough, unbreakable mask. But this time, there was a crack.

Tears ran down her face as she gritted her teeth, practically growling her next words. Naruto, unable to take in the unmasked Tsunade, took a step back.

"Bring me Haruno Sakura immediately!"

**So, how you like? Not really, somewhat, not at all? Review me anyway, they taste like skittles *^* I am not the best writer in the world, but, hey, I try. Please look at my other stories...that I should at least attempt to update xD. Thanks for reading! Ja ne!~**


	2. The Cherry Blossom

**Author's Note: Thanks for the views and review! I really appreciate it. Thanks for sticking to this story, guys!**

**Author's Note 2: I have no idea where this is going, but I like this chapter. Might be a "Friendship is Magic" Fic. I doubt it though, bc we get enough of it in the anime lawl. Wanted to go for NaruSasu, but I don't think it will happen. Ships in this are pretty obvious. xD**

**Disclaimer: Naruto Shippuden is not mine. If it was, manga wouldn't have ended :'( **

**P.S. I'm an anime-only watcher. Yes, they still exist.**

Chapter 2

The Cherry Blossom

Wind flies through the messy, spiked hair of the sleepy, yet determined Uchiha, jumping from tree to tree with increasing vigor. The young man had sensed an all too familiar chakra approaching the Akatsuki hideout, one he hadn't felt since the time he wanted to extinguish it forever. Why? Why had she returned to him, after all the obvious refusals to return to Konoha? Why wasn't the girl with Naruto? The idiot came alone? Is she on a suicide mission? Questions flooded his brain as Sasuke picked up his speed, diminishing his presence as he came closer.

Red saw pink before pink saw red. Sharingan eyes swept over her running form; bright emerald eyes narrowed in anger and short, bubblegum locks flew behind her in the sharp wind. She wore not her original attire, but the Jounin flak jacket with dark pants, undershirt, and a black pouch on her thigh; standard Konoha wear. Her head protector was nowhere to be seen.

Her arms were behind her as she ran faster than the raven haired had ever seen her before. Strong thighs pounded into the earth and, with the help of chakra, made her strides longer and wider. Narrowing his curious eyes, he began to descend and meet her, slowly revealing his presence. At the slight sensation of nearby chakra, Sakura Haruno decelerated immediately, drawing three kunai from her pouch and holding them at the ready in Sasuke's direction.

"Show yourself, cretin," she demands with a cold voice. Her narrowed, steel eyes dart around in an effort to find a face. "Don't make me find you, bastard."

Blinking at her new vocabulary, Sasuke obediently reveals himself. Dropping from the trees, he found himself on the receiving end of Sakura's hate-filled glare. Somewhat surprised the kunoichi could make such a face, the Uchiha looked at her with distaste.

"What is stopping me from killing you, here and now?" The Uchiha heir asked, the shadows on his face having grown longer.

The pink haired ninja simply stared at him, avoiding his bright eyes, her face screaming disgust and hatred. Her shaking hand began to form a fist, cloaked in bright blue chakra. Sakura's head lowered as she switched into an offensive stance. His Sharingan had not missed the action, and he immediately began forming a Chidori. For the shake of his pride, the raven haired man refused to speak until his opponent had responded. He simply stared back into her eyes, waiting for the dim light in them to reveal what her next action was.

Minutes pass, and the couple do not speak. Wisely, Sakura's eyes avoided his activated Sharingan. Finally, after gritting her teeth and taking, the kunoichi straightened from her fighting stance. The pink-haired girl's face became nonchalant as she made an attempt at 'conversation'. "Tch. Where's the rest of them?"

Eyeing her suspiciously, Sasuke replied, "You never answered my question...Sakura." Within the blink of an eye, he had the young woman by her neck, squeezing tightly. "You should listen when someone talks to you." Sakura does nothing as her passageway for air is slowly crushed. The Chunin simply stares at the Uchiha. Is that...a smile?

"Oi, scoundrel. Ask politely when you want someone to talk to you."

Huh?

Sasuke barely had time to register his old friend behind him before searing pain erupts in his chest and blossoms into outright agony. Writhing, the Uchiha fell to the floor, an unrecognizable sound escaping from his dry lips. It somehow sounded like a scream. Weakly reaching for his cold chest, he came back with dark blood on his pale hands. Feeling quickly and tenderly around the area, his sharp, yet pain dulled mind concluded his was stabbed with a kunai, and said kunai was dragged through him, creating a jagged foot and a half cut on his chest. Breathing became difficult as liquid slowly filled his lungs.

This was not happening. This could not possibly happen.

"Heh. Who would've expected an Uchiha to not tell the difference between a woman and a log? Pathetic," Sakura laughs, looking down upon the young man.

Hissing, the young man attempted to get up, but found that he couldn't. As if his body's mobility was robbed. The raven haired teen widened his eyes as he realized how this came to be.

"Immobilizing formula. Made it myself. It's amazing how far a little at the end of a kunai can go," the healer says before moving around the still body at her feet. Upon reaching his arms, she crouches.

Sakura healed him only to the point where the raven haired did not have to worry about dying young. Then, working quickly with the bloodied weapon, she cut deep into the teen's hands, hindering him from using a jutsu. Tuning out his colorful curses, her quick, expert hands formed a string-like rope out of chakra and began to bind his bloodied hands with them. Continuing to avoid the red eyes of her opponent, Sakura placed a spare cloth over his narrowed eyes, triple knotting the ends in the back. She finished off the capture by binding the Uchiha's feet in the same fashion as his hands. Roughly picking him up by the waist, she slings the man upon her shoulders as one would with baggage. Sakura stands for several moments, getting the feel of the new weight on her shoulders and heart before running into the shade of the trees.

"Naruto, Sai, Kakashi, Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru!" Tsunade barks at the gathered group. "Have your supplies and materials ready and packed in ten minutes! I shall be waiting near the gates at 10 PM for your return! Dismissed!"

"Yes, m'Lady," was the response before the ninja exited they empty office with the same troubled expression adorning their faces. Naruto in particular, who had witnessed the now public murder of Shizune in person, had extremely dead eyes. Sadness rolled off him in waves, dimming the light of the once radiant sun. As if feeling the sudden lack of warmth, Hinata stole a glance at Naruto and, noticing the teen's distress, placed a small hand on his orange shoulder. His lowered blue eyes found her reassuring pale ones. For a little bit, they simply stared at each other. Exchanging silent words, the Hyuuga backed away from the blonde, giving him a small smile before returning to her things at her home. Naruto watched her retreating back with a mix of gratitude and something else he could not specifically place before turning to his own home to pack for the long and difficult mission.

Ten minutes seem to pass within the blink of an eye, slipping through the unaware mind of the blonde as sand through fingers. Before he knew it, Naruto Uzumaki was late. Grabbing the last of his smoke bombs and stuffing them in the pack on his backside, the ninja leapt through his window and onto the rooftops of nearby houses in the pale light provided by the moon. Although he was only a mere five minutes late (according to Kiba, he might as well not come, since only Genins are late to such important missions), he was still well scolded, followed by tensing for a hit on the back of the head. When it never came, and Naruto realized why, he kept his head down as the Hokage went over last minute details of their mission.

Bright moonlight shines to the east, casting the gates of Konoha in a brilliant radiance that only through nature could be achieved. The night sky was a beautiful navy blue, rich and filled with stars. Yet, a small group of ninja wasted this beautiful occurrence by preparing to go on a dangerous mission. A blonde woman stood in the gates, hands placed on her wide hips. She cast dark shadows on the pure, untainted ground upon which the moonlight shone. In front of her stood the squad of six which the mission was to be carried out by.

She spoke quickly. "There is no time right now. You all are to complete three things on this mission. First, find Haruno Sakura and bring her back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves." The shinobi tense as the Hokage uttered the words, for the same words, more or less, were used to bring Sasuke back into the village.

It is more than known as to how that affair turned out.

The busty woman continued, "Secondly, discover her location, which, according to information we were able to gather, is most likely with the Akatsuki. After confirming, send a messenger bird on your situation."

Narrowed honey eyes surveyed the crowd of skilled ninja for any questions thus far before continuing. "Lastly, if you confront the before mentioned targets, I hereby give you my permission to engage in battle. Is this understood?"

Shock ripples through the small crowd. Engage in combat? What was Tsunade thinking? Naruto peers at the elder, monitoring her actions closely. Her narrowed eyes still have an undertone of sadness and hatred, yet they continue to shine artificial light at the ninja. Her arms were crossed, and her expression was more than enough evidence to convince Naruto that she was serious.

"Yes ma'am," was the response heard. Pursing her glossed lips slightly, Tsunade steps aside to make way for the Genin, Chunins, and Jounin. As they gather to make final preparations to depart, granddaughter of the First looks over at them with worry in her dead eyes. "Be careful. Come back alive," she whispers as the group finally disappears into the chilly night air. Seeming to be the only one who heard the woman, Naruto flashes her a quick grin before jumping into the dark, rustling trees outside the village, out of sight.

...

Silently, Kakashi, Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Kiba make their way through the dense leaves, maneuvering around the thick trees with ease. Of course, their familiarity with the area helped, but one could even forget their own country's layout when thinking of their difficult mission. Especially a quiet and brooding blonde. Said man was contemplating darkly about something, his eyes laid low and glaring. In the darkness, no one took notice of the blonde's bleak countenance due to his normal chakra level- all but with the exception of one. Dark brows furrowed in worry, as she took in the tense way Naruto landed on branches, and the sharp way as to how he took off. Closing her eyes momentarily, the Hyuuga jumped in a way as to travel alongside the troubled teen.

Lifeless azsure eyes noted the close distance between the two before she tapped his shoulder lightly. Understanding wordlessly, the orange clad young man ceased in his tense landings, gradually returning to a more graceful stance when flying through the air. He undid all the knots he tied into his muscles, and, upon reaching the next branch, landed easily and swiftly before taking off again with normal vigor. Darkness concealed the exchange of signs, if one were to call them that, and the black haired girl counted her blessings. Hinata was unable to do such things to Naruto in public, and even the thought of simply touching the blonde on the shoulder sent her mind into overdrive. At least privately, she could convey her words to Naruto without causing a scene and having all eyes trained on her.

Naruto felt eased through Hinata's subtle touch, much more so than he had let on. After fixing and resolving the situation, he had, still facing forward, given a small nod, barely perceived by the naked eye. But he knew Hinata well enough to know she received the small message, especially so due to her active eyes. He could practically feel the sunlight of her smile tear through the blackness concealing them before she moved back to her original position.

Unbeknownst to the couple, a certain masked ninja was eyeing the two, amusement dancing in his coal orbs and knowing, close lipped smile.

Hours have passed since their fight, and Sasuke was still seething. Sakura ran on, apparently oblivious to her prey's lividness. As to how this woman could subdue him so easily pissed him off into next week. Fighting the temptation to curse his pink haired captor into hell, beyond, and back, she suddenly stops running, her chest heaving with the burden of carrying him for miles on end. Despite his anger, something in the far recesses of his mind was clearly impressed with Sakura's improvement from the time they were comrades.

Sasuke killed it within the next second.

Throwing him down would not be the correct term to use as to how rough the kunoichi handled the Uchiha. The healer all out flings him onto the rugged terrain, as a child would do with a backpack upon coming home from school. Grunting against the pain of sharp rocks sinking into his skin, Sasuke glowered at her through his blindfold. Never would he have imagined himself in this predicament. Not only was he away from the haven Akatsuki hideout, but he was captured; the deed carried out by none other than Haruno Sakura, his old teammate. She had quite the intelligence to come up with the ridiculously clever plan as to not only defeat him, but confine him afterwards as well. Tsking, he ended his short internal monologue to hear what she was saying.

"Sasuke," she said in a softer voice than what she had once used with me earlier. "I need your help."

**Like, no? Review me plz, it makes me very happy! :) Thanks for reading this story. I just realized how fun it is to write Sasuke, so guaranteed that there's gonna be a NaruSasu story in the future. And because I had recently finished SAO 1 and 2, a story will be coming up with a Kirito x Asuna/Kirito x Sinon story coming soon. Please look forward to my other works! Get ready for ch 3...ja ne~ **


	3. The Deal

**It's been at least 83726482654738 years. I'm sorry. But anyways, welcome to the third installment of this story! Whoooo! Finally in the writing mood. I reread the last couple of chapters and found mistakes! D: I redid them but I'm too lazy to re-upload. So. Here's chapter 3 for your reading enjoyment. (Sorry for any grammar/ spelling mistakes. No matter how much I look over it, there's always one or two minor ones, and it bothers me.) **

**Chapter 3**

**The Deal**

Sakura undid the raven hair's ties and went about healing the Uchiha. Gasping for breath (after a few hours of cursing the woman out, she had given up and decided to gag him), he coughed and regained his ability to breathe normally as the woman removed the large cloth from his mouth. The pink haired had pulled a small square vial with a light blue bubbling substance within it. Using a syringe to withdraw an unseen amount, the konoichi administered the liquid into Sasuke's arm. Too numb and angry to resist, Sasuke simply stared holes into the spiked hair of Sakura's head. Not more than a second later, Sasuke's mobility returned. He immediately activated the Sharingan, pushed the woman to the floor, and held her hands in place above her head, holding her in place.

The red eyed teen now towered above the girl, holding down her legs with one chakra-powered leg, and her hands with a similarly powered arm. Looking down on her with dizzy glee (due to the fact that he now had the advantage), he raised his free hand and started to form a Chidori. The air around his hand started to sizzle, growing louder in volume. Glancing over to his hand, then his face, Sakura did a quick equation as to what the sizzling noise was. Widening her eyes, she took action immediately.

"Sasuke, you need to stop gathering chakra, right now!" She says sternly, grabbing his wrist and weaving tiny, minuscule threads of her own chakra into the chakra points on his skin, going into his body and stopping the flow. Making use of the delicate chakra maneuvering she spent years mastering, the Konoha ninja carefully stopped the points in which chakra flowed through Sasuke's arm to his hand. Light-headed due to the lack of blood, Sasuke's eyes lowered, his red eyes deactivated, the teen below him blurring in and out of focus. Giving in to the numbness at last, the young Uchiha's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on Sakura in an ungraceful heap. Wide eyed and blushing (she would never admit to the latter), Sakura stared at the sleeping form on top of her. For a minute, just a minute, she raised a shaking hand and, verifying he was sound asleep, began to stroke the soft, spiked locks of the unconscious raven haired. Laying her head back and looking at the blue sky, Sakura contemplated her situation. Abandoning the village. Leaving her friends and family behind. Walking into this world of darkness. What is she to expect? She was now a missing nin. She would be tracked.

Tracked.

Sitting up with a start, she quickly surveyed the area via chakra. Although far off, and traveling not quite in her direction but certainly close, is a group of about 5 to 7 ninja, all with both large and medium amounts of chakra. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she gathered that the group was a good 45-ish miles away, but, as they were ninja, they would probably catch up to her in no less than 30 minutes. Acting quickly, she gently pushes the sleeping teen off of her chest and sits up. What should she do now?

"My, my. What a state this poor boy is in."

The bubblegum haired did not register the presence before a crushing blow struck her from behind the neck, depriving her lungs of air within a second. She flies into the sharp, ragged rocks that they had left not less than a minute ago. "Ugh!" The young woman grunted upon the impact of the sharp rocks. Looking up at her attacker, the young woman pales.

A red cloud blocks her vision, the cloud slightly disfigured due to the blowing wind. The cloud seems to drift in a sea of black, and, glancing upward, the sea seemed to end. The Konoha ninja had 'not expected the glowing, illuminated Sharingan that looked at her with such distaste to be here. Sweat forms on her upper brow within the shadow of the man. The pink-hair's plump mouth opens without making a sound, and her heart races. Peering down at me with feigned interest, the man speaks from behind a bright orange swirled mask.

"And who might you be, little girl?" Rumbles the deep, smooth voice. Sakura only had a second to realize the unavoidable. 'I am going to die if I stay here.'

"Sasuke!" She screamed as the leader of the Akatsuki simultaneously produced a sharp iron rod from his billowing sleeve. Seconds pass. Time slows down as the kunoichi stares at the rod that somehow traveled through the air fast enough to be within an inch of her nose. In the same instant, the slumped, unconscious Uchiha who lay forgotten no more than ten feet away from her suddenly springs into action.

Sakura had been told time and time again by Tsunade when training to never turn her head from a battle. "Not only did you turn your back on the enemy which gives them a moment to strike," the Hokage had warned, "but it also blinds you anything that happens within that instant. It only takes a moment for the tide of battle to turn." After quite a while, the pink haired had grown out of the habit, training her eyes on the enemy and her surroundings at all times. This was the result of all her training, she worked toward this goal for years.

So why in the world was she turned away now?

Blackness swirled at the edges of her vision as the raven haired moved in front of her, his dried blood painting his pale face a vivid crimson. Gripping his sword with renewed strength, the raven haired deflected the trusted iron rod with ease, keeping the threat to the both of them in check.

Sakura simply shook, thankful for her life. To think that if she had a mere second delay, her life would've been snatched right away from her. Rubbing her hands and calming her elevated heart rate, she simply stares at the Uchiha symbol on the young teen's back. Her mind became the jumbled state she vowed it would never be again, especially in battle, and, dumbfounded, the woman's eyes glazed over. Becoming still, Sakura could do nothing else but stare.

"I'm surprised you can move in such a fragile state, Sasuke," Tobi finally says, eyeing the teen carefully, "but why are you here, protecting this woman?"

Gritting his teeth against the pain, the Uchiha neglected to respond. Every cell in his body told him to protect the ninja behind him with his life. Even he himself did not know how or why this came to be. Why was he fighting Tobi, even though they were on the same side. It didn't make sense. He was supposed to escape from Sakura, so why in the world is his brain telling him to protect-

Oh.

Tobi seemed to have figured out Sasuke's peculiar predicament at the same as himself. Tobi jumps backward and studies his face carefully. "You've been poisoned, haven't you? By that girl?" he asks.

Sasuke is not able to respond. Now that the threat was a good twenty feet away, something in his brain said, 'flee'. Tsking, he turns and grabs the unconscious Sakura and takes shelter in the dense forest.

"As if I'd let you go," came the determined voice behind them.

Tobi appears before the Uchiha, blocking the path between him and freedom. His slender fingers fly into jutsu signs, ending in multiple searing balls of fire all coming towards his face. The light illuminated the raven hair's face before he impact of the jutsu caused a large smoke cloud to erupt.

Sizzling could be heard, and a shadowed Sharingan searched the dust cloud for chakra. Somehow, there were not any more lingering traces of chakra. Glaring at nothing in particular, Tobi tsks. "They got lucky."

...

The Uchiha huffed as his jumped on another thick, mossy tree branch. He jumped off angrily, the muscles in his thighs burning. Not only did he not have the energy for this, but he, himself, was injured. The only thing that kept him from passing out again was whatever Sakura secretly injected him with. That he was at the mercy of this kunoichi yet again made him livid. Why must he always end up in the stickiest situations with this woman? Even in their childhood...

Widening his eyes at a certain memory, Sasuke's cheeks began to warm. Due to this sudden rush of emotion, the Uchiha had slipped on a particularly wet branch. Suddenly, the raven haired and the unconscious pink haired fell to the leafed ground of the forest, no more than twenty ft below them. As someone who was at his limit himself, he knew that the impact of the fall would knock him out, too. Panicking, Sasuke could only bend his knees to branch for the ungraceful landing. But yet, something within him told him to activate his Susanoo. Unable to disobey, the teen had complied, and soon become engulfed in a glowing purple skeleton with bright, beaming yellow eyes. It has still not completely formed, as the skin peeled itself onto the base of the creature. As all of this within a second, Sasuke found is simple to extend a fiery, bright hand into a stable tree branch. He pulled the two of them from the danger of the floor below and into the air, preparing to jump onto the next branch when...

"Sasuke?"

The raven haired blinked. "N-Naruto?!"

**Annnnnnnd that's a wrap! Yeah this chapter was short I know. I'm Sowwy. I'm gonna go for a longer chapter next time. Remember when said I would do an SAO fanfic? Ehhhh just kidding. Instead, I wanna do a ONE PIECE ONE BECAUSE I HAVE AM ADDICTION. a reason i haven't been updating is because of that series. I blame One Piece. Nothing else. Look forward to the update of my other fanfics, also. Thanks for reading! **


	4. The Confrontation

**Hey everyone! Nothing really going on besides updating EVERY STORY WITHIN THREE WEEKS. WOOT. (Even though Forgotten Memories was just an announcement.) So happy about this guys, you have no idea. Once upon a time, my stories haven't been updated for like...6 months. xD Anyway, hope you enjoy the forth installment of SFP! LOTS of fluff this chapter. Sorry for any mistakes. :(**

**Chapter 4**

**The Confrontation**

"S- Sasuke?!" Naruto asks, unable to contain his obvious surprise. The raven-haired widened his eyes at his former ally also, but, due to his momentum, he was unable to decelerate. The two ungracefully clash in the midst of particularly dense trees, thankfully just outside everyone's line of vision. Like in their childhood, the ninjas accidentally brush lips. During the little confrontation, one decided to take a taste of the other's mouth, resulting in a small, high-pitched, hiccup-like noise from the victim.

Gravity, finally deciding to act, brings the couple to the ground of the earth. The Konoha ninja from which the noise was produced touched his lips sheepishly. Sakura, being squeezed tightly in the explorer's tense arms, stays unconscious- even through the violent shaking she receives when the Uchiha lands clumsily, but upright, on the dirt ridden ground*.

Naruto lands in a crouched position with a kunai gripped in a shaking hand. His face is mortified and heated, his body anything but still. Sasuke's face resembled that of one of his favorite foods**. Completely and utterly embarrassed, the young man decides to turn back and flee as soon and as quick as humanly possible.

_'No.'_

Large church bells seemed to ring in his head, creating a massive, intense headache. The pain is so immense, the dark haired teen drops Sakura, as the signal telling his brain to carry her had all but disappeared.

_'Go the opposite way. Go towards Konoha. Take me. Hurry. Before it's too late.'_

Sasuke's eyes flicker from Sharingan to dark and conflicting; maybe if he were to cast himself into a genjutsu, he would be able to break free from this stupid curse. On the other hand, whatever Sakura gave him was working like a charm, which, of course, pissed the Uchiha even further. When he tried to disobey, this would happen?

_'Resisting is futile.'_

'_Thanks_,' the teen thought dryly. This annoying, nagging voice that vocalized ever since the pink-haired ninja injected him with that liquid has been giving him irrefusable orders to follow. Now and then, it even had a little snarky comment to make on the situation. It reminded Sasuke of old times when the voice belonged to his emerald eyed teammate.

Tsking at the resurfacing memory, the genjutsu user pushed the thought to the far, far recesses of his mind, hoping it never came to light again.

The events which took place after the fall fell within the span of exactly five seconds. These five seconds were witnessed by none other than Kakashi, Shikamaru, Hinata, Sai, and Kiba, who were eyeing Sasuke with expressions of disappointment and stupidity.

Sasuke, his face growing even redder upon get learning this and receiving their glares and glances, proceeded to pause, turn, pick up Sakura, and sprint dead ahead, leaving the loyal ninja far behind him. Within a few seconds, the group was out sight. He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. He looked down at the pink-haired teen in his arms, eyeing her physical state.

Sasuke almost tripped over his own two feet.

The woman was practically naked, with only a few strands of cloth clinging to her small frame. Her chest, covered only by a cloth no wider than the width of his arm and a few strands of bubblegum hair, was visibly bouncing as he ran through the forest. Wide coal eyes slowly ran down her slender body, taking in all the dips and curves. His ravenous eyes had just reached her plump backside when...

"Um, S- Sasuke-kun!"

Snapped back to reality, and with a light headache, the Uchiha's eyes returned to the blushing ninja's face. "What are you doing, Sasuke-kun?!" she asks more forcibly.

The runner blinks. He was...dreaming rights! Apparently he was...the kunoichi was completely clothed. He looks down at the woman. Dread catches in his throat and chokes him. How the hell does this happen?

The hand supposedly holding Sakura was now gripping her in a certain other area. A pale hand was squeezing the surprisingly firm backside of a rapidly increasing blushing Sakura, whom had resorted to little squeaks of anger and surprise to express emotion. Slowing down from his zippy speed to a sound, steady gait, Sasuke finally released the soft flesh his still held onto tightly.

Breathing hard, and not only from the exhaust-inducing run, the Uchiha let down his "baggage". The Konoha ninja was completely red. She felt her behind, dusting off any remains of his groping. Glaring at Sasuke (although anyone could tell she did not really mean it), the ninja solemnly declared, "Never mind, I'll walk. You are to stay close behind me- don't get any ideas!"

Grunting, the missing-nin had no choice but to follow...when his legs suddenly give out. Sakura turns towards the sound from her position five or so feet in front of the young man. She crosses her arms and sighs deeply. "Oh, right, you were injured. I guess I have no choice..."

The teen gets to work healing the Uchiha, completely unaware of the six stares from nearby bushes.

...

"What was that about, Naruto? Talk about lame," Kiba taunts, laughing at the ninja's unnerved body language.

Naruto had taken a major hit to his manly pride. After the incident at the waterfall, where he ended up kissing Sasuke for a second time, Naruto had vowed for it to never happen again. He was interested in _girls_...well, girl, _only_! He casts a side glance at the intended. Hinata was eyeing him steadily, worry plain and clear in her large, pale eyes. The blonde blushes lightly at the intense stare and half smiles, half smirks- a special smile reserved only for her. This throws Hinata's senses into overdrive, resulting in her clutching her reddened face and squealing as she dizzily walks away.

Shikamaru ignores the two lovebirds, focusing on his conversation with Kakashi. "What do we do, Kakashi?" the Jounin asks. "Sasuke was literally feet away from us, yet he managed to get away so swiftly. He carried Sakura, clearly unconscious, in his arms. Yet..."

The older, masked man nodded. "Yeah. I felt no ill intent being emitted from him as we usually do. What's going on?" The mini intelligence unit of the group think in silence for a bit.

Sai was quietly observing Naruto's interaction with Hinata. 'Interesting...' the pale, seemingly emotionless ninja muses. He sat upon a tree stump, pencil clenched in hand, his sketchbook opened before him. The former foundation ninja had been startled when the Hyuuga had squealed. He smiled slightly, a genuine one, while observing their interaction. Then, the black clad teen went back to the drawing of the nature before him.

The Mini Intelligence Unit finally came to a consensus. Shikamaru called the group over and, along with Kakashi, explained the very simple, yet crucial game plan. They were to cloak their chakra and very, very, _very_ (this last very was thrown pointedly in Naruto's direction, who frowned) silently trail Sasuke and Sakura. Five quick nods and one confused glance later, the group of went on the move.

About ten minutes of running later, Naruto had arrived first.

With wide eyes, he witnessed _the deed_.

The face Sasuke had made had almost blown his cover, he was laughing so hard.

The rest of the Konoha ninja, who arrived about a minute later, spread apart around their targets who had, for some reason, stopped. Naruto debated doing something stupid, unreasonable, and unthinkable. He threw the pros and cons onto a scale. The cons looked pretty heavy until Sakura spoke.

"Never mind, I'll walk. You are to stay close behind me- don't get any ideas!" she says.

Naruto's cons got lighter, and his pros, heavier. They were now about neck and neck.

It was Sasuke's actions, however, that stopped orange-clad ninja in his tracks. He actually began to follow her, as if listening to her instructions. The dark, spiked locks of his past teammate suddenly fell to the ground, and Sakura, after a little complaining, began to heal him.

The same thought ran through all of the ninja's minds- Why was she helping him?

Suddenly, Kakashi leaps from the shadows. Hinata and Kiba follow him, kunais at the ready. Huh? This wasn't part of the plan...

Someone taps his shoulder, and Naruto turns to face a very pissed Shikamaru. "What are you doing, Naruto? That was your cue!"

"Oh."

Naruto jumps out of the bushes and takes his place, causing the tense air around the three standing in the spotlight to vanish.

Sakura looks up at the group in surprise. "You guys! Since when..." she trails off just as she finished wrapping the last wound on Sasuke's body. She finishes the treatment by giving her patient the same blue substance from before, which escapes the prying eyes of everyone minus the intelligence unit.

"Sakura-san," Hinata starts, eying both the man on the floor and the addressee. "We are here on a top secret mission from the Hokage of the Fire Country to put you under arrest and bring you back to the village."

"Any attempts to escape or struggle," continues Kiba, narrowing his eyes and crouching, bending his fingers into claws and crossing his arms, "will be considered as betraying the Fire Country and, as a result..."

Kakashi adjusts his mask. "...you will become a missing-nin. Your name will appear in the Bingo Book. If you do not want that, I suggest that you-"

Sakura stands up from her position on the floor near Sasuke. With shadowed eyes, the pink-haired woman faces her soon to be ex- comrades. She opens her pretty mouth. Tears slide down her face. "I," she begins, screaming. Her panicked voice rises above the heavens, "am going to-!"

"-follow Sasuke and the Akatsuki until further notice," comes the weak, yet loud, voice of the young teen at her feet. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura gives him a look of utmost gratitude, one that urges him to continue. Thanks to the medical ninja, his wounds do not hurt as much now, and standing comes easy. He looks at his village's ninja and proclaim, "Sakura will stay by my side. Don't look for us. Don't follow us. Don't you dare try to track us down." The Uchiha grows more confident by the word, finally regaining his pride.

He glares at each of the visible ninja in turn, lingering particularly on the blonde. Naruto blinks, and a wicked smile comes onto his face. "So you don't want us to follow you so we don't intrude on any more of your little, um, _moments_, huh Sasuke?"

There goes his pride for the third time within the hour.

Sputtering over words, Sasuke scoffs. "J- Just don't f- follow u- us! G- Got it, stupid usuratonkachi?" Naruto doesn't even hear his words- he simply doubles over on the ground, laughing until tears. An embarrassed and angry blush slightly creeps onto Sasuke's pale cheeks. He turns on his heel and, carrying Sakura, runs.

***Basically, they kissed midair. Sasuke dived a bit deeper into his mouth than Naruto did. Sasuke had more momentum- he was sprinting, and had just came off from a branch, while Naruto was still in the air, about to land. Get it?**

****One of his favorite foods are tomatoes! **

**SOOOO updating within a month. I am slowly getting better and better updating times. I am actually really happy with how it turned out, even though I feel like this is one of my more crappy chappys. HA. I ALMOST SKIPPED UPDATING THIS TO WORK ON INTENSE EMOTIONS. I HAVE SUCH HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THAT STORY. We had to read Great Expectations for a class...didn't like it. O.O My mind is just everywhere today. And this is such a long ending Author's Note...anyways! R&R&F! Thanks for reading, see you in ch 5! **


	5. The Journey

**It's been quite a while! Thanks for keeping up with this story, the few of you all who do! It's because of you all that I won't drop this story :) Here is chapter 5! Warning: Mild Swearing. **

**Chapter 5**

**The Journey**

Sasuke had lost sight of the Konoha ninja yet again, for the second time that afternoon. All of this running was getting to him, as he had just been treated, and needed more time to rest. But of course, he couldn't. That stupid blonde idiot just had to call him out on his...accident.

He spares a glance behind him to the pink haired woman, who has forgiven him after his announcement, and she smiles. "We have to hurry to Konoha," she repeats.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Sasuke almost pauses. He had forgotten that his old village was his destination. "Why?" He questions. What was so bad that she sought the outside help of Sasuke to deal with it, and not her comrades? Why was it that she turned away from the village for this threat, without even telling anyone? Why?

Sakura looks down. "Something big is going to happen in the village soon, something only you can stop," she reveals, looking at the raven haired with large eyes. Obviously disappointed and frustrated at the lack of response, Sasuke growls. "And what is so important they you come to me, of all people, to help you with it?"

"Well," the pink haired begins, "apparently, Itachi is still alive..."

The Uchiha's blood runs cold, and he trips, landing ungracefully on all fours. Sakura, who was close behind him, follows suit, landing beside him in the cool shade of the big, wide leaves of the tree. "What," Sasuke breathes, "did you just say to me?"

Dusting off her pants and backside, the kunoichi stands, unfazed. She fixes the man with a hard glare. "I've told you that Itachi Uchiha is alive!"

Something in Sasuke snaps.

Grabbing her shoulders roughly, the man turns to her with wild eyes. "How in the _fuck_," he seethes angrily, shaking the woman, "do you know that? How is the hell is that even possible? Sakura!"

Closing her eyes against the onslaught of questions, the pink haired sighs. "Yes. I am well aware you supposedly killed him. I don't know how, but he fooled you good, Sasuke."

Anger rages through the raven haired. Impossible. There was no way, no way in hell. He knew what it meant to kill a person, he's done it countless times before. Yes, Itachi was much, much different, but to realize he hasn't finished the job...

He was happy, though he'd never admit it. The black haired ninja had only recently learned of the struggle his brother had endured alone, and had grieved over his stupidity and selfishness after their fight. He had never thought of the situation as it actually was before, the teen had simply deemed his brother a killer and left it at that. So the news of his brothers survival brought a lump to his throat.

But something within him told him that this was wrong. This was so, so, so very wrong. Wrong enough for Sakura to seek him out.

"How do you know this? Why would Itachi come to you?" The raven haired asks. Instead of me, he wanted to add. He soundlessly gets up and continues to run. The kunoichi runs besides him, obviously deep in thought. "I didn't discover him. He actually came to me."

"What?" The Uchiha says, disbelieving. Sure, he had been very mad at his sibling for a long time, and had let out that anger through their fight, but if he had lived, the smart choice to do would obviously be to return to him...

Right?

Sakura looks down at the ground flying beneath her feet. "He came to me extremely injured, so I fixed him up. I didn't recognize him as Itachi until he said so, and then all of the pieces clicked."

_Flashback._

Sakura finished rinsing the damp cloth and placed it on top of the man's head and tried her very best to avoid eye contact. The man was stunning, with smooth ivory skin and piercing black eyes. He reminded her of Sasuke, the man who she swore to never think of again. The injured was not helping, as he was practically the carbon copy of her undeniable crush.

Itachi looked contently at the kind ninja addressing his wounds. If he was correct, Sakura was her name. Smiling at the fact that he was probably too unrecognizable to her, he sits up with ease. Holding a shaking hand to his throbbing head to keep the cool rag there, Itachi sighs. Where to begin.

Well, what's better than actually showing her?

Without warning, the dark haired pulled the pink haired woman down to eye level, eliciting a startled blush from the kunoichi. "Just what-" were the only words she mutters before falling into the genjutsu. In the illusion, he shows everything from the start of his fight with his younger brother to the present. How Itachi was bloodied, practically a corpse before the woman came along. Once the explanation was finished, Sakura returned to the world with a confused, dazed expression. After a minute of peaceful silence, with Itachi holding a patient countenance, the pieces finally click for the woman. "Itachi?!" She squeaks, resignation dawning on her face. Closing his exhausted eyes, the older nods.

"Thank you for all you have done for me, but I must be off." The wrinkles on his pale face elongate just a bit as a small smile graces his thin lips. "It was certainly quite a pleasure to finally meet you."

Alarmed as the man causally pushes away his sheets, places the damp rag onto the counter, and starts to put his shoes, Sakura widens her eyes. It really is him. "I- Itachi! What...how did you...what..?"

Not willing to express his gratitude for a third time, the Uchiha simply leaves without so much as a glance. Mustering all the strength that she could, the pink haired calls after him a mere second before he disappears into the dense trees. "What are you going to do?!" She hesitantly waits for a response.

The man pauses and turns, his bangs covering his eyes. "I will destroy the Leaf." And out of her life he walks.

_End of flashback._

Gritting his teeth angrily, Sasuke picked up his speed. Hitting on Sakura while he was gone? Unforgivable. Simply and truly unforgivable. Not to mention he was targeting his target! The man was an angel, really, but is now more of a devil than Sasuke had ever seen him. It annoyed him greatly, everything about the situation. From his ominous brother to the cryptic message, the whole thing was wrapping around his around and inflating his head, crushing it slowly to death.

"Come here," calls out a frantic, deep voice.

A pair of strong, pale hands reach out towards the two, quickly pulling them into some nearby bushes. At the same second, a pair of kunai, charged with sharp chakra, whizzed past where the pair's heads once were and exploded upon the impact of the tree no more than three feet ahead of them. Both ninja look on with awe. There heads had just been there. Heads, as in brain. There. With kunai.

Explode.

Die.

Slowly, the two turns towards their savior, and then wish nothing more than to have remained in their spot. Glaring at the both of them, with one eyebrows twitched upwards in annoyance, was none of other than the topic of conversation himself.

Snorting, Sasuke glares. "Who the fuck gave you the right to save my ass, Itachi?"

Blinking against the foul language, the man responds with narrowed eyes. "Would you rather be dead, Sasuke-chan?"

Tsking, the man looks away. He hasn't called him that since their childhood, and the sudden remembrance of the name shut him up good. Sakura, witnessing the banter with growing amazement, turns to Sasuke. "Did you know he was here? And you-" she turns to the older, who faces her, "-just how did you know, out of every freaking place on earth, did you find us here?"

The brother look at each other, scowl, and shrug. "Brother's intuition," they both say at the same time. Resisting the urge to punch Sasuke and give Itachi the stink eye (if she had tried such a violent manner in the latter, without a doubt she would end up six feet under), the ninja sighed as she stretched. "Well, this is quite the surprise," she comments idly, eyeing the family members. "Well then, Itachi, what exactly made you follow your 'intuition' and find us?"

Without a pause, the older replies. "I had already laid my plan long ago, and for you two specifically to find out my mission was already embedded. I simply came here to tell you details, so that you could help me destroy Konoha."

"Destroy the village?!" Sakura practically stutters. "Of course not!"

Giving the woman the most disappointed look he could muster, the man continues. "Of course not actually destroy the village, idiot. I love my village. Who would want to-" he drones off and stares at his brother, suddenly lost in thought.

A moment of silence passes between the three.

Flustered, Sasuke finally shouts, "What?!"

A slight smile graces Itachi's face. "You'd enjoy destroying the village, wouldn't you?" Turning on his heel and grabbing Sakura, the couple of spiked hair ninja run for the third time that day. He didn't care wether or not his old village had a damn bomb in it, he was not going anywhere near his brother for the time being. Not only is it awkward after almost trying to kill him, but he acting like it never happened. Him killing his manly pride in front of the one person he vowed it'd happen in front of...

Sasuke just couldn't take it anymore.

Just when the younger was about to whoop in victory at his successful escape, the noise died in his throat. His older brother appeared before them again. "Those ninja are catching up to you. I suggest you come with me, we discuss a few things, then you can decide what to do from there, deal?"

Frowning at him, the younger brother contemplates. Konoha ninja, or Itachi? The latter was obviously better, so he grabs Sakura's hand, pulling her aside.

"Sasuke, what are you—" she begins, and, damn it all, is she didn't look so stupidly cute in that moment he didn't know what was. Without facing her, he simply responds, "You're with me, remember? So you stick with my decisions."

"Get a room," Itachi calls out, abruptly flustering the teen, a bright red creeping up into his pale face. Luckily, Sakura did not seem to hear the words. The ex-ninja calls out a weak, "Fuck you." A quiet chuckle escapes Itachi's lips before he turns to run, in the direction of the village. Cursing, the teen follows him, the woman following suit.

**This was long, long, overdue. I'm sorry :( Well, this chappy was a start on the second half of this story, at least. Hope you liked it! Watch out for ch. 6! **


	6. The Predicament

**My head is spinning and I am tired. Shinsplints are slowly killing me. But. I shall update this story nevertheless.**

**Chapter 6**

**The Predicament**

Naruto glances at the leaves ahead of him, dashing quickly to catch up with his lost friend. The plan was out the window, as Sasuke and Sakura had fled yet again. The two were elusive, he had to admit.

It had been at least ten minutes since they have seen Sasuke with Sakura, and who knows where they could be now. Naruto narrows his eyes. If Sasuke was serious about destroying the village, then there was no way he was going to lose him, not here, not now.

As for Sakura...

He lowers his eyes, swiftly jumping off a tree branch. The wind tousles his hair and cools his quickly heating head. It hurt him, really, how Sakura chose to follow Sasuke. She was fading, fading away from them, and nothing Naruto could do could stop it.

He was all alone in Team Seven.

"Oi, Naruto! You alright?" asks Kakashi, suddenly appearing next to him. "You look pretty ashen."

Suddenly numb, Naruto nods. "I don't know if I'm prepared now. It's like...it's all a dream. I have to capture my teammates. I just wish we were all back in Konoha."

Studying the blonde for a moment, his teacher grimly smiles from under his mask. "You'll be fine, just do what you normally do."

Sighing inwardly, Naruto nods slowly. The silver haired notices the lack of response and leans towards Naruto, whispering. "We know this will be tough on you. Hang in there, Naruto." He moves back, next to Shikamaru, and the whiskers on Naruto's cheeks crinkle from his smile.

...

A few minutes later, they rest. Kiba and Akamaru sniff the air, walking around on the forest floor a few times. The teen frowns and sniffs deeply. Shikamaru raises an eyebrow at him, and Kiba shakes his head sadly.

"Their scent has disappeared. I can't smell them," he says quietly, rubbing the back of his dog's head, who whines.

Clearly frustrated, the spiky haired teen rubs the back of his head absentmindedly. "This is getting us nowhere," he sighs, looking carefully at their team. "Just running around is not going to help us in the least."

Nods all around. Hinata speaks. "Um, what are you going to do now?" The oldest person their looks to the sky. "I am guessing that we have to return to the village—"

"No," the blonde cuts in, daggers in his blue eyes.

"Naruto-kun," the pale eyes girl whispers.

The orange clad ninja walks up towards his teacher. "Why are we giving up? There's no reason! I can search with my shadow clones! They're bound to still be in this forest!" He had just hardened his resolve, so why were his comrades giving up on them! It made no sense to him, none at all.

Kiba whirls on him. "You stupid Genin! There is a different between simply giving up and knowing when to stop looking. If we continued, we would simply waste time and energy!"

"He's right," the male with a ponytail agrees with a shrug. Naruto narrows his eyes at the two. What were they thinking? Were they in their right minds?

"Anyway, I have a good feeling that we should return to the village," says Kakashi, looking at Naruto seriously. He stares back, eyebrows furrowed. There was no way he was going to back down, not even for—

"Naruto-kun, I think we should go back," says Hinata quietly, wringing her hands. The ninja whirls on her, angry. "You, too?!" he bursts, and the girl cringes.

Long, think strands of black hair cover her face as she looks at the ground in shame. "We might find a clue in the village, that's all...I mean," Hinata whispers, her voice wavering. She sniffles, and her face crumples.

A frown tugs at Naruto's face. Damn, he made the girl cry. Something in his heart tugged, and, oblivious to the stares he received, went to hug the girl tightly. She warms quickly in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Naruto says in her ear, his breath ticking her. Hinata blushes impossibly further, and mumbles an "okay" in his shoulder. "Let's go to the village."

His fellow Konoha ninja were snickering at the scene behind their backs. It was only when Naruto turned that they stopped. "Let's go back to Konoha," announces the blonde. Murmurs of agreement sound throughout the ninja, and they disperse, heading back towards their home.

...

Sasuke and Sakura sit in a cave, about a mile or two away from Konoha, watching Itachi silently. He gathers wood and lights a fire with jutsu. Sighing into the heat, the Uchiha tips his head back to lean on the wall, holding the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.

"So, what is it that you want, Itachi?" questions Sasuke, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

The man lazily looks at his sibling and sighs. "Oh, my brother, why are you so tense around me? I am harmless."

He sharply laughs. "You have five minutes. After that, we're leaving."

The pink haired konoichi stares at Itachi. "I healed you, and then you left. Why? You said you were going to destroy the village?"

Itachi turns to the woman. "I don't know if you know this, but to go to Sasuke when you left the village was a good idea."

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura questioned as to why. The older Uchiha looks her with narrowed eyes. "What made you leave the village in the first place, Sakura?"

Pursing her lips, the pink haired stared into her lap. "I heard some horrible news as I was...um, in the Uchiha District." Four dark eyebrows shoot up. That place is off limits, and on guard 24/7. How was she able to sneak in?

She continues, "I found this tablet. And it said that a large bomb would go off in the village a week from the year anniversary of the last Uchiha betraying the village."

Sasuke blinks. That was so specific, it was almost comical. He glances at the expression on Sakura's face, and realizes that she's not joking. Neither was Itachi. Both of their faces turn towards him. Frowning, the younger Uchiha blurts, "Why are you both looking at me like that?!"

"About a year ago?" Itachi muses, a thin hand on his chin. "Wouldn't that be you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke pales.

"Yeah, it's you, Sasuke," confirms the female, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Turning to his brother, she speaks. "That's why I left the village, to look for Sasuke. I figured only he could help me. If I had just asked to meet him, Tsunade would've obviously said no! So I snuck out at night, and Shizune tried so stop me...but I was panicking and drugged her. I might've put too much, too..."

Silence engulfs the three of them. Sakura killed Shizune...for the village?

"By the time I left the village, only three days were left until the bombing," Sakura says. "And one day has already passed, so there's only—"

"Two days left," Itachi finishes, running a tired hand through his long hair. "I've heard about the bombing, too. That's why I wanted to destroy Konoha."

Sakura stands, her hands balled into fists. "Don't be stupid! What the hell do you mean, destroying the village? Do you realize how little time we have? You said it yourself, two freaking days! How do we stop a bomb powerful enough to wipe out the village in _two days_?!"

"Calm down," Itachi says, unfazed. "The bomb isn't just a bomb. It will only explode if there are things _to_ explode. Buildings. People."

This gets Sasuke's attention. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Itachi begins, spreading his hands for emphasis, "that if there are no buildings, and we evacuate the people, then the bomb will not go off."

Sakura blinks. "Isn't there any way around that? Can't the bomb be stopped?"

Narrowed, mature eyes roll over to her. "We don't know what the bomb looks like. We just know that it cannot be stopped. Once the predetermined time passes, however, it cannot ever go off again."

Sakura and Sasuke look at each other. Both didn't know that the deal was so big. The raven haired of the two coughs and turns to his brother. "So, what do you want us to do?"

Itachi gazes at him steadily. "We are going to infiltrate and begin to destroy Konoha. I shall be banned a traitor to the Akatsuki, Sakura, a traitor to the Leaf, and Sasuke, this will only add onto your crimes. We cannot tell anyone...do you think they'd believe us betrayers?"

Shakes of heads all around. Itachi sighs and looks towards the light of the cave. The light of day was already fading, being replaced with a deep hint of purple. His gaze travels back to the two ninja, hiding their exhaustion well. "We will sleep for tonight, and attack early in the morning. We have one day. And Konoha is a big village. We will need the time."

Sakura nods hesitantly. Why weren't they attacking sooner, rather than later? It was when she reluctantly laid down near the back of the cave that she completely passed out on the rough surface, the day's events finally taking a toll on her.

Sasuke, however, was wide awake, this news was completely new to him. A bomb in Konoha? Because of him? What the hell?

It is dark out, and it is a cold, starless night. The moon shines bright and pure above them, shining pale rays of moonlight. Itachi looks at the moon also, conscious of his younger brother in front of him, leaning against the opposite side of the cave.

"Itachi," starts Sasuke, cautious. His brother, without tilting his head, grunts. He is listening. "Is there really nothing I can do to stop this?"

Itachi faces him fully. He turns a bit to make sure that the pink haired is sleeping soundly. She is, her body going up and down in accordance with her breathing. In a soft voice, he begins, "There is a way to stop the bombing."

Sasuke sucks in a breath. "How?"

His older brother shakes his head. "First we must find it. Then, one must hold the bomb as close to themselves as possible, and get far away from every else."

The younger brother widens his eyes, he can't possibly mean—

"Yes," Itachi concludes sadly. "One must sacrifice their life for the village."

The younger Uchiha's head spins, and Itachi flashes him a grim smile. "Go get some sleep, my little brother."

A sad expression settles over his features. "Tomorrow is a big day."

**So! This story will only have a few more chapters, cry. But thanks to the few of you who are following this story! Love with all my heart, see you in ch 7!**


	7. The Bomb

**So yeah. Ten chapters. Seventh one, let's go. Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto. Annnnnnd, let's get this chapter on the road! By the way, I've finally read the manga of Naruto, including the spin-off. Three words. OH. MY. GOODNESS.**

**Chapter 7**

**The Bomb**

The sun's bright rays illuminate the cave, signaling the start of a new day. Today is the last day, the final day before the bombing. At six, the bomb would go off, setting an explosion large enough to destroy the village and all of its inhabitants.

And only the three ninja could prevent the disaster.

The oldest of the three immediately gets up, and squints in the harsh light. "Morning, huh," he mutters, narrowing his eyes. Quickly surveying their surroundings for chakra, which he found none, the Uchiha stood.

"Sasuke. Sakura. Get up, it's morning. Time to make our move," announces Itachi. The former wakes up almost immediately, but groans at the amount of sunlight in the cave. Latter, however, mutters something incomprehensible and rolls over.

"Sakura," insists Itachi, suddenly getting impatient. "We don't have time for this."

A deep frown settles over her features and, with a final grunt, props herself up on her shoulder. Her green orbs crack open, only to close again quickly, hissing at the light. Sasuke looks at her with a surprised expression. Is this how she always woke up?

Five minutes later, when the teen was fully awake, the three huddle in a small group. The man with wrinkles in his cheeks speaks first. "Here is what we are to accomplish today," he starts, looking at Sasuke and Sakura with determined eyes.

"We are going to completely annihilate Konoha. As per regulation, when there is an outside attack in the village, the Hokage is to immediately evacuate the people, so we are not to worry about that."

Itachi pauses, so the information can settle in. After he receives approving nods from both of them, he continues.

"I will take the west, north, northwestern area of Konoha," states Itachi. He glances at his brother. "You shall take the east, northeast, and southeast." His gaze travels to Sakura. "You are left with the southwestern and southern area."

Sakura nods, her fists clenched tightly.

"Destroy. That's all you must do. Try to avoid killing the people— an accidentally injury is okay. Remove the buildings as soon as possible." Itachi stares into the sky for a moment, and takes a deep breath. Finally he closes his eyes, resolve finally set in stone.

"On our way to the village, we will stop at my hideout for cloaks. From there, we go to our assigned areas. Understand?" Itachi finalizes, already removing their things from the cave, ridding of any evidence that they were there.

"Yes," Sasuke and Sakura say in unison. Itachi gives a small, sad smile before taking off, the two ninja behind him.

...

Naruto sighs as he sits in the Hokage's office, Kakashi next to him and Shikimaru behind him. They face Tsunade, whose pale face had finally regained some minimal color. She wasn't healthy, that was for sure, but she also wasn't as dead inside as the orange clad ninja had seen her before. It was honestly a good sign.

"So," sighs the busty woman, leaning forward in her desk and clasping her hands, "you _did_ see Sakura, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," replies the dark haired ninja, "she was with Sasuke."

"And, as I gather, they fled? And somehow, someway, you let them escape?" asks Tsunade, with a dangerously calm voice.

The blue eyed ninja gulps silently, and moments pass before another voice is heard. Naruto is glad he was only here as an observer. "Y- Yes," the masked man says uncertainly.

The blonde woman looks downward, her face covered with her bangs. Her hands, however, shake violently, veins clearly visible on the pale skin. Naruto looks at the scene with mounting surprise. Tsunade was still this upset over Sakura's betrayal, yet she kept her feelings under lock and key this entire time. Naruto gained even more respect for the woman.

"Do you have any idea about their current whereabouts?" Tsunade continues, as if nothing has happened.

"No, ma'am," responds Shikamaru. Tsunade narrows her eyes at the two jounin. "What exactly was accomplished, then?"

"We confirmed that Sasuke and Sakura are indeed working together for a common goal," Kakashi says, retaining his calm demeanor. Tsunade looks up, surprise shining clearly in her eyes. "Why are they working together? Didn't Sasuke attempt to kill her not too long ago?" The old woman asks.

Her inquiry was answered with an explosion, shaking her office.

"What the hell!" Naruto yells, jumping up from his seat. He runs to the window behind the Hokage and peers out of it, quickly followed suit by Kakashi and Shikamaru. Tsunade turns to glance out on the village too...

...to be meet with raging fires, screaming villagers, and elusive black cloaks.

"How in the hell..." Kakashi mutters, his eye wide as he surveys the village.

Tsking, the Hokage summons ANBU to her office. Two ninja immediately appear, bowing before her, asking her their duty.

"Send out a code red alert! All chunin and above, plus Naruto, counter the forces attacking our village! Get the civilians out of there!" screams the blonde, furiously pushing her chair back as she stands. She runs past the two ninja without a glance, and nods as reply, "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Naruto, Kakashi, and Shimaru stares at each other with disbelief. We're in the middle of a war, and some village decides to attack? What the hell? They were supposed to be in an alliance!

The silver haired man blinks. "We should get down there. It's not safe being in a high building."

The two agree, and they run out after the busty woman, leaving the Hokage office empty.

...

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!"

A large, swirling ball of fire erupts from the pale mouth of the Uchiha, catching a building nearby aflame. The residents have been long gone. Next, lightening surrounds his hand, its presence sizzling, its power, pulsating.

"Chidori!" Sasuke says, thrusting his hand into an abandoned home. The whole house crackles from the force of the ninjustu, and then falls before him. The lightening from his hand ceases to be, and Sasuke glances at the sky. It was already cloudy, a sign of the day speeding by.

"It's already noon," he whispers, assuming the time. "Six hours left."

Sasuke takes a deep breath and, tightening his clock around him, continues onto the next section.

Somewhere else in Konoha, however, his older brother wreaked havoc. "Amaterasu!"

Black flames engulfed ten houses in a row, twisting and bending in accordance with the wind. Remaining hidden under his cloak, the Uchiha continues to spread destruction, easily wiping out the village he loves for the sake of it, for its people. Though he had no regrets, deep within him lay a nagging feeling, a premonition of something bad. That something horrible was going to transpire.

Shaking his head slightly, Itachi released another deadly attack of fire onto a small shack. No, he was over thinking things. Everything would turn out right in the end— Konoha would be saved.

Right?

Making sure he had no onlookers to identify him as an Uchiha, the man plans his next move. "Susanoo," he says, comfort washing him as the smaller version of the skeleton formed around his cloaked body.

Flaming red hands reached out, clutching at wooden structures, squeezing them until they break. He walks down the road, continuing this for a bit. Thank goodness the Hokage evacuated the people so quickly. Smiling at the old memories of him as an ANBU that resurfaced, Itachi lets loose a sad smile.

For the village, he reminded himself, smashing a nearby restaurant.

Sakura was, however, already worn out. Itachi had left her with the smallest section to destroy, but yet, she was very exhausted. Fighting her fatigue, the kunoichi once again cloaked her hand in chakra again, gathering her strength. With a ferocious battle cry, the teen punched the foundation of a house, splitting it, and the following ten houses, clean in two.

She rubs her fist painfully. Percent wise, she would say has she was 40% done. Sighing, she wanders through the areas which she already destroyed, catching her breath, staring at the destruction with tired eyes. Her emerald eyes survey the debris tiredly, without purpose, when she suddenly sees a pathway. "What..?" she mutters, making her way towards the uncharacteristically clean path.

Trees line either side of the stone pavement, leading to an open wooden gate. Curiously taking a hold of her, the teen peers closer.

The Uchiha symbol is engraved in the old wood, with yellow tape crossing over the entrance. 'Do Not Enter' is the message the ominous tape gives, causing the pink haired to shudder. Taken aback, the teen looks up. "This is what the compound looks like?" Sakura asks out loud. The place where she had snuck in before was a side entrance— nothing compared to this.

Something in her told her to go inside, go look. For what, she didn't know, but to just go inside, and look.

Following her instinct, she walks inside the Uchiha compound once again, staring at the houses which once belonged to the now extinct clan. A wind blows through the emptiness, throwing his short hair back into the breeze. The sharp, cutting wind rejuvenates her senses, brings her back down to earth.

She has to destroy this place too.

She is sure Itachi gave her this place to destroy because neither Sasuke nor him could do it.

Due to memories.

A frown tugs at her face. She closes her eyes and, gathering chakra yet again, punches the ground of the main entrance. "Shannaro!"

The ground breaks apart, buildings on either side collapsing. Huffing heavily, the woman smiles. She could do this.

Running past the debris she created, Sakura charges up another powerful punch. Gritting her teeth, the woman punches the ground of a house a hundred yards away, breaking apart the ground and houses of the next few streets.

She runs again. Repeats the process. Rest. Run. Charge. Punch. Repeat. Before long, the kunoichi had the whole settlement in ruins, her glove slightly coated in blood. Breathing heavily, the woman collapses, finally obeying her body. She rests on the floor, narrowing her eyes at the scene. Sakura surveys the Uchiha compound and its debris, searching for another building to destroy. There are none.

Smiling weakly, she begins to heal her injured fist. As she turns, however, a small, unearthed plot of land stares up at her. The pink haired blinks. As she was destroying the place, she hadn't recalled bringing up dirt.

Mind numb, and not thinking much about it, she reaches over and slowly digs at the place, as if searching for treasure. Soon, Sakura realized that the dirt was artificial. This _really_ sparked her attention, and she dug faster, feeling as though she was almost at the light at the end of the tunnel.

She hit something.

Furrowing her eyebrows, the woman pushes the last few specks of dirt away from the object and gingerly lifts the spherical shape from the ground. Feels its smooth, dark surface. Sakura stares at it, turns its dirty surface in her hands. Finds a clock.

Ticking down.

Five hours, fifteen minutes, thirty-nine seconds, and counting.

With horror, Sakura realizes just what she holds.

It's the bomb.

**Well, that's a wrap! Hope you liked! Excuse the month wait, oops. Plz look forward to the next three chapters. Until next time, in ch 8!**


	8. The Time

**Hello all! Glad to see you come back, it's been a while XD Anyway, this story is so close to ending that I can feel it. LAUGHING BECAUSE I CAN'T WAIT OOPS. Gives me time to work on other stories…anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Chapter 8**

**The Time**

Sakura looks down at the ticking sphere in her hands, a slight humming sound filling the air. "I can't believe this is actually the bomb," she mutters to herself, holding the ball high into the air. Glancing at the strange contraption, the medical ninja thinks: if she was able to somehow get this ball as far away from the village as possible, no one would be hurt.

As she recalled, Itachi said the day before, when he thought she was alsleep- someone had to sacrifice themselves in order for one on in the village to be harmed. A dry smile spreads across her face.

Lucky her, then.

Not thinking twice, the girl sprints over the debris in the Uchiha compound, exited through the south side of the compound, towards the woods. It was the easiest, fastest, and least troublesome way out of the village, and within these five or so hours left, she would run to her heart's content. There was no time to alert Itachi and Sasuke- they both are easily an hour away from each other, considering the damage she'd have to go over in order to reach them. By the time she informed them and came back to run, there'd be less than half the time left on the timer. She wouldn't get half as far, and the place had a much higher chance of getting blown up.

If the bomb really was a huge as Itachi said it was, then it was enough to singe forests for miles.

Sweat drips from her forehead at the realization. Would her body be able to keep up the intense exercise? She would have to, or else Konoha, her village, her hometown- it would all be destroyed. Hell would freeze over before the pink haired would let that happen. Gritting her teeth, she pushes on, running as far away from the Uchiha brothers as possible.

Sakura _would_ protect her village, and if that meant giving up her life in the process, then that was fine by her.

She did not, however, notice the two pairs of feet no more than twenty feet behind her, staring after her.

…

_4 hours, 44 minutes, and 9 seconds left_

Itachi jolts suddenly, pausing in mid-jutsu. The man glances towards the sky, in the general direction of their female associate. He got a weird vibe from that direction, a sudden chill down his spine. It unnerved him, that was for sure, but he had to focus on his area of the village. He was sure the kunoichi could care for herself, seeing as she had gotten much stronger over the past few years. But, still, the feeling nagged at the Uchiha, no matter how much he tried to shake it off.

Cursing, the man burned down a nearby building, a squirrel running from inside of it. His plan couldn't be more flawless, or simple. Just destroy. What was so hard about it? Yet, something…just _something_ bothered him, and it centered around the pink haired.

Resisting the urge to go after the girl, he torches yet another building. As soon as he was done with this area, he would go to her aid. Hopefully, his suspicious were invalid. '_Hopefully_,' thinks the red eyes man, flexing his fingers to prepare yet another justu.

…

_4 hours, 19 minutes, and 52 seconds left_

Sasuke ran through the eastern area of the large villages, leaving lightning struck houses in his wake. The place was surprisingly bigger than he had expected, and to torch the place took work. Currently, the teen moved on to the northeastern area, already somewhat destroyed.

It was around this time that he got that strange sensation, a tingle running the length of his spine. His eyes immediately narrowed. "Sakura..?" he whispered.

Not getting an answer, and frankly pushing the girl to the far recesses of his mind, the young black haired focused on the job before him. A crunch from his left snags his attention, and the ninja jumps back, arms positioned to weave signs at any time.

His narrowed eyes, however, widened considerably upon realizing his enemies. "You're..."

"Don't bother to finish it, Sasuke," sneers the brown haired teen, his white dog barking in agreement.

The blind girl turns towards him, determined, with an uncharacteristic frown on her face. "Even if you are Naruto's friend," she begins, "I will not hold back to battle you."

She bends her knees, pulling her left fist backward, towards her shoulder, and holds out her palm to face him. Removing his cloak, Sasuke grunts at their attempts to seem confident.

"Heeeeh…" he mutters, nevertheless, admiring the ferocity of their eyes, "you're confident this time around. Kiba, Hinata."

Both tense ever so slightly upon the use of their names. Sasuke would have to finish this quickly, so he wouldn't run behind schedule and fail to complete his part of the plan.

Grinning manically, the Uchiha cracks his knuckles, "Entertain me."

…

_3 hours, 39 minutes, and 4 seconds left_

Tsunade walked down a deserted street in her village, eyeing all the destruction with a sense of unease, anger, and bewilderment. Who in their right minds would dare to devastate their country once more? The Akatsuki? They are much too busy, prepping for the war, and not to mention they had already attacked their village. A neighboring continent? Not likely, they were also readying for the war.

Tsking, the woman kicks a rock, and it flies into a window of a small convenience store, shattering the glass. "Who could be behind this..?" she mutters disdainfully, glaring at the debris covered road.

"Tsunade-sama."

An ANBU appears to her left, kneeling. Sighing, the busty woman waves the formalities off. "No need, please stand."

The man stood, adjusting his uniform. "Isn't it unsafe for you to be out here, alone, while there are intruders in the village?"

The blonde's eyes darken at the comment. "Are you trying to keep me holed up in that office of mine while chaos erupts in my village?"

The man looks uncomfortable, eyes averted. "Well, ah, no-"

"Then do tell me," the Hokage cuts off, livid, "what exactly it is that I should do."

The man remains silent, his lips forming a straight line. Tsunade sighs and backs off the poor guy. "Thank you for looking out for me," she says quietly, "but as the Kage of this village, nothing of this sort shall be under way as I simply sit in my office."

"Yes," the ANBU agrees.

With that, the man vanishes, and the woman is left to face to hectic, burning houses alone. Turning a corner, the important figure comes face to face with a man in a black. Narrowing her honey colored eyes, the woman calls out to the person just as he began to flee.

"You! With the cloak! Who exactly are you, and what are you doing to my village?"

The person pauses, looks back slightly, but not enough for identification, before taking off. "Wait!" Tsunade yells, immediately following the man, "just who are you?"

Cursing loudly, the man picks up his speed. Tsunade furrows her eyebrows. The voice rang a bell, but she didn't know whose.

…

_3 hours, 2 minutes, and 18 seconds left_

"Let's go, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cries out, leaping over the debris to follow his former teammate.

Sighing, the silver haired ninja clamps a calloused hand over his mouth. "Idiot, if you talk so loud, she'll obviously find you," he chides. "Focus on concealing your chakra and shutting your mouth."

"Sorry," Naruto says, not an ounce of truth to the words.

The two continue to follow the girl, even after she had mysteriously sprinted out of the Uchiha compound. It seemed to the two loyal ninja that the girl had found something of ridiculous value. Curious, and ordered to follow her anyway, the blonde and silver haired stalk her further and further away from the village.

"Sakura!" Naruto calls out, and the teen ahead of them turns back, a terrified expression on her face.

"Naruto? Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" she asks hurriedly, her breath coming in short spurts. The oldest of the three narrows his one good eye. She looks extremely exhausted…just why is she running so desperately fast?

The girl had stopped, but at a considerable distance ahead of them. Panting at their pace, Naruto slows down until he is close enough, and his teacher stops beside him.

The three stare at each other for a few, catching their breath, before Sakura speaks again.

"Why are you guys here? Get away from me as soon as possible, return to the village!" she cries, shooing them away.

"What are you even doing, Sakura?" Kakashi asks, frowning. "What's that in your hand?"

Gasping, the ninja looks down and swiftly conceals the object in her cloak. "It has nothing to do with the likes of you, so please! Go back to the village, for your own safety!"

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Naruto fires back, a dangerous glow in his eyes.

The girl makes a frustrated noise. "Just leave me alone! Trust me!"

She flies off again, leaving the two in the dust.

Coughing from the small dust cloud, the two stare at each other with an unreadable expression adorning their faces. "Trust? She's messed that up a while ago, with Shizune," says Naruto, and Kakashi agrees grimly.

"Should we go back to the village, though?" the blonde asks, staring after the retreating form of Sakura.

"Of course not," the ninja spits, starting after her again. "Hokage's orders."

"Alright…" Naruto says reluctantly, following his teacher.

_There are 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 32 seconds left until the bomb detonates._

**Liked it? Time is running out fast! XD Alright, hope you enjoyed. Like, fav, review, all that jazz. See you all in chapter 9! **


	9. The Explosion

**Hey guys! :) next chapter will be the last one, who's ready for the finale? I'm not XD anyway, I'm hope you like this chapter, the 9th installment!**

**Chapter 9**

**The Explosion**

Itachi curses under his breath at the Hokage who had stayed to follow him, her narrowed gaze locked squarely onto his back. The Uchiha contemplated staying to fight or running as he pulls his cloak around him more. The answer was, however, chosen when the the blonde punched the ground with such tremendous force that the hooded man flew, landing anything but gracefully on a nearby roof he'd destroyed.

"Reveal yourself and your motives," Tsunade commands in an authoritative voice, one laced with fury and disgust. "What the hell you do think you're doing to my village?"

Itachi groans, sitting up, and is grateful for the clock he brought, as he could easily hide himself within its covers. The Hokage stands with hands on her wide hips, frowning at the man who doesn't answer. "Who are you?" she asks, steel in each word. The Uchiha stands, adjusts his cloak, and tsks at his current situation. "I've no other choice," he mutters, moving away some of his hood to glare at Tsunade. His sharingan glinted in the sunlight, and the older stops in her tracks. "A Sharingan?" she gasps, her surprise rooting her to the spot as the genjutsu took over her vision.

...

_1 hour, 58 minutes, 27 seconds left _

Sasuke jumps to avoid the two dogs spinning below him, only to confront the pale eyed girl mid air. She expertly aims for his chakra points, but the Uchiha is able to dodge each attempt and instead kicks her backwards, to which Kiba screams her name and goes to catch the falling teen. Landing gracefully nearby, Sasuke lowers his hands to preform another justu to strike at the two Konoha Ninja. "Chidori," the ninja mutters, the familiar tingling feeling of chakra gathering producing a queer smile on his pale face. Hinata shakes off the grip Kiba had on her and stands in front of him, with her palms facing Sasuke, an elbow pulled back near her chest. "C- Come," she stutters, and Sasuke chuckles at the slight tremble she has. Rushing the girl, he immediately goes in for the kill, ready to drive his lightening enhanced palm into her heart when a dog bites his outstretched arm. Hissing, the dark haired ninja pulls back, glaring at the blood which blossomed on his forearm. Kiba motions for Hinata to back off, to which the girl murmured, "Kiba-Kuhn," in a small, timid voice. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her," Kiba growls before pouncing at Sasuke. Realizing that he was not supposed to fighting them but, instead, destroying the village, the Uchiha backs up to avoid the attack. It hits the floor, the dent following the force causing even Sasuke's brows to rise. "Maybe another time, dog boy," he calls out before hitting the ground and sprinting away from them.

"What?!" yells Kiba before Sasuke disappears behind in a swirl of dust and dirt. The Uchiha grins before setting fire to the buildings he passes, a satisfying thump reaching his ears as they collapse.

...

_1 hour, 19 minutes, 21 seconds left_

Sakura was scared.

She was never this terrified in her life. The girl wanted to protect the village with her life, and even so, she was scared. The bomb said that there was only an hour plus left, and each second that ticked past was another second away from the village, and another towards her death. She bites her lip and runs on, jumping off of a tree branch and flying through the air as quickly as her exhausted legs could take her. 'I need to do this...for the village,' she thinks, and then it became a mantra. 'For the village. For the village. For the vil-'

"Oi! Sakura, where the hell do you think you're going?"

Sakura trips on a branch, her concentration broken, and tumbles to the floor in a heap of disorganized limbs. Yet, the rough, cold ground below did not reach her; instead, she was greeted with shockingly yellow hair and muscled, tan arms wrapped around her. "Sakura," he says, and the emotion she once heard in her name by him was gone. The grip he had on her arms tightened and Sakura jerks a bit. "Naruto," she whispers. "Can you please put me down?"

Kakashi arrives in that exact moment, striding towards the two with a certain look in his eyes, one that sent chills down Sakura's spine. "No can do, Sakura," he answers for his subordinate. "Not until you answer our questions."

The pink haired grits her teeth at their stupidity. Why couldn't they just believe her? That she had no time, none whatsoever, and the bomb concealed within her cloak was going to go off in just-

A beeping sound comes from inside her hood, and the two ninjas before her still at the sound. Sakura fumbles with her concealing clothing, wrapping herself up further than before, and Kakashi looks at her strangely. "Was that the thing you hid earlier?" And, no, Sakura couldn't deal with this anymore, couldn't deal with them. Flexing her fingers, she gathers chakra in her fist and punches Naruto in the cheek, hard enough for him to let go but soft enough so he could escape with his face intact. She was dropped on the ground abruptly, landing on the pack covering her backside. A smoke bomb popped from within, and the area around her proceeded to be covered in smoke. Coughing, Sakura makes a quick clone, and orders it to go to right, while Sakura goes on ahead. Her cloak was useless now, as they two had already identified her, she hands off the black clothing to her clone. They go their separate ways just as the smoke begins to dissipate. This occurs within ten seconds. As the smoke clears, Naruto catches sight of the clone at yells, "Found her!" Kakashi coughs through his mask and peers as best as he could through the remains of the smoke. "Alright," he says, tailing 'Sakura' unknowingly, "Let's go."

...

_52 minutes and 55 seconds left_.

Sakura huffs as she runs again, barely able to keep herself upright, and almost trips for the third time since sending off the clone. With that chakra went her remaining energy, which wasn't much in the first place. She stares at the timer on the bomb, and it read fifty minutes on the dot. The once green glow it emitted had faded into a pale, warning yellow. It was obvious what the warning meant.

One hour left.

Sakura holds the bomb close to herself, scared to drop it, scared to part with it. Yet, at the same time, she was scared to be with it, scared for herself because this was her life, and she doesn't want to throw it away, she doesn't want to mess up this chance. Sakura doesn't want anyone to get hurt, including herself. But. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to save others. Sakura knew that, she really understood.

But it still didn't quell the horrible, horrible feeling in her gut, and it ate at her constantly.

Her role right now was to get this bomb as far away from the village as possible. If she were to think back, thinking of all the miles she's ran so far, she would guess around ten, which was a surprise for her. She wanted double. "Twenty miles..." she mutters aloud, to no one but the trees. "Twenty miles and I'll stop."

...

_37 minutes and 1 second left._

Itachi finally finishes destroying his part of the town, and his chakra is almost depleted. He takes deep breaths, staring at the burning destruction unfolding around him. The heat is too much, and it almost makes him want to take his coat off, but he doesn't, in case of any prying eyes. Even though he would've been able to sense them, who knows, because the village he came from was always full of special surprises. He turns and, instead, sprints towards the area the pink haired ninja was supposed to cover, an eerie feeling coming over him. He didn't like it. The place was generally far away, but the man had to. They were missing something. He knew it, but what, exactly, they were missing, was information Itachi didn't have.

It was around the same time that Sasuke finished his area also, most of the houses singed from his lightening. Blowing out hot air through his nose, he turns and stares at the sky, in the direction he last saw Sakura head. Sighing, he sprints over to the area too. He notices Itachi's chakra already on the way over there, and they meet somewhere in the village, running alongside each other through the chaos. "Where is Sakura?" Itachi asks, a bit breathlessly, at that. Sasuke smirks, "Already out of breath, are we?"

"Do you think I have time for you silly taunts?" the older growls, dodging a falling plank. Sasuke's smile falls off his face. "We're a team, and we need to look out for each other if this plan even has an iota of succeeding. Do you know where she is?"

"No," the younger mutters as he kicks a fallen tree out of his way. The two soon reach the compound, as their speed took them far quickly. They stare open mouthed at their old home, the debris, the mess, the complete and utter destruction that befell it. "I was wrong to underestimate her," Sasuke mutters as he makes his way in, followed closely by Itachi. The man looks around with narrowed eyes. "Sakura's chakra lingers around, but it's very faint."

"That means she must've left hours ago," Sasuke says with wide eyes, angrily punching a nearby frame of a building. "How the hell did I miss it?"

Itachi gazes at the forest just outside of the Uchiha compound, deep in thought. "She went outside of Konoha. Why?"

"Who cares, we just need to go after her. She never did complete her part of the village, so why did she go? That idiotic woman," Sasuke grunts, adding his own mountain of curses after the statement. Itachi glances at him from the corner of his eye. "Let's follow her. We've no time to waste," Sasuke says, running towards the woods.

"What about the town? The rest of Sakura's area needs to be destroyed, and the bomb goes off in less than half an hour-"

"Sounds perfect for you," his brother calls out before disappearing into the first. Itachi sighs, staring after him with the smallest hint of a smile, which he forced to disappear quickly before getting to work.

...

19 minutes and 14 seconds left.

Sasuke ran like he never did before.

He added chakra to his feet and arms, gaining ground so fast that the scenery around him was a blur. As he followed the chakra of the pink haired, two other chakra came into his sensory vision, and it causes him to falter. He began to switch myself with objects up ahead, just to cover even more ground, even if that meant him depleting his little energy even quicker. He had to get to that teen, that idiot who decided it would be a good idea who just leave and not tell anyone.

The irony of the statement made him laugh aloud.

"Why are you laughing so creepily, Sasuke?" asked Naruto from beside him, and Sasuke's face heats up. Where in the world did Naruto even _come from_? "D- Dobe, why are _you_ here?"

"We could ask you the same question," says Kakashi from behind him, and Sasuke whirls on his old teacher. "Judging by your attire, you were one of the people destroying the village."

It wasn't an question. It was a statement, as if Kakashi knew the fact already. "We got off track," Naruto says more to himself than Sasuke. "Sakura sent a clone leading us _way_ off track."

Sasuke tsks and doesn't say anything, frowning because it seemed like Sakura didn't want anyone to follow her. Instead, he covers himself with his Susanno and, with a crouch, jumps far from them, Naruto's "_Sasuke_!" following him in the wind. He narrows his red eyes, searching the area ahead from above throughly. A pink haired ninja, several miles in the distance, was running, but weakly so.

Something catches in Sasuke's throat at the sight, and he jumps straight towards her.

...

Sakura runs tiredly, barely covering any distance, and finally slumps against a tree, holding her tight, hurting chest painfully. She catches her breath and looks at the bomb in her hands. "Three minutes left," she breaths, and looks at the sky with tears blurring her vision. "What...?" she says quietly, touching the wetness on her cheeks. "Why am I crying?" Shaking her head sadly and sighing, she glances at the clock again. "A minute, 2 seconds," she murmurs, and she smiles when the bomb beeped shrilly, the color turning a deep red. Sakura slides down at sits at the base of the tree she relies on for support, thinking about her life. "It was short, but alright, I guess," she says aloud. "I hope the villagers can forgive me."

The pink haired sets the bomb beside her, sliding her emerald orbs to the time, which has gone into the single digits. With each number, the bomb beeped loudly. "Five more seconds..." _Beep_. "Four..."

"Sakura!"

The intended looks up and sees the purple Susanno in the air, coming towers her at a high speed.

_Beep_.

"You're crazy! Sasuke, get out of here!" The girl screams.

_Beep_.

Sasuke takes one look at the scene and the bomb, and instantly moves. He wraps the Susanoo around Sakura, welcoming her within the purple chakra.

_Beep_.

"You're stupid," whispers Sakura, tears flowing down her face as she clings helplessly to the teen's shirt.

"And you're crazy," says Sasuke with a hint of a smile.

_Beepbeepbeeeeep_.

The explosion completely devours the two of them, vaporizing the trees, singeing any unfortunate animals, and enveloping the area for miles on end. It stops just short of Naruto and Kakashi, who look at with the massive explosion with dawning horror.

**So! How was it? Chapter nine is done, next time will be the last! Bye to you all, and see you next time! **


	10. The Aftermath

**Hey guys! I'm back for one last chapter of this story! Ready for the finale?**

**Chapter 10**

**The Aftermath**

Itachi finally finishes the destruction of their village, pushing down the memories that threaten to resurface from the depths of his mind he had pushed them down into. With a tired sigh, he looks towards the sky. The bomb should've gone off by now. Why hasn't it exploded-

A large _boom_ sounds from his left, shaking his standing, and with wide eyes, the man watches as trees catch fire instantly, smoke rising into the blue sky. He removes his clock, the need for it long gone, and with a shocked expression, stares openly at the destruction. Something in his heart twists. Something about his brother.

"Where are you?" he whispers to himself quietly, just about to take off in the direction of the explosion when a pair of equally bewildered shinobi stutter out of the forest. Itachi pauses, gulping audibly at his audience. Naruto and Kakashi lean on each other for support to escape the flaming nature behind them. Without his clock to conceal him, Itachi stood wide open, and millions of different scenarios went through his head to escape from this predicament. Just as he picked one and was about to act upon it, Naruto raises his head from where it was rested on Kakashi's shoulder.

"...Itachi?" he asks, surprised laced into his voice. The ex-Konoha ninja blinks and purses his lips. The white haired ninja glances up wildly, and narrows his one good eye. "What are you doing here, Itachi?"

Kakashi's expert eye swirls downwards and takes in the discarded cloak, and Itachi knows then that staying around is not the best choice. He instead reaches behind him and procures a smoke bomb.

"What the-" Naruto starts before clouds of purple smoke reduce his vision. With a leap, the Uchiha jumps over the two blinded ninja, into the forest behind them, and disappears from sight win a mere second. The man knew that the two meant trouble, and would do nothing but hinder him. He takes a deep breath, calming his beating heart, and ignores the fire that reaches out to caresses his body as he flies from tree to tree, deeper into the heat, knowing that somewhere there lied Sasuke. Maybe even Sakura.

Call it brother's intuition.

...

Itachi finally makes it to a small, untouched clearing within the flames, which surprised him. How was this small area able to escape the destructive flames around it? Speaking of which, the hungry fire was starting to eat the edges of the haven, slowly making it smaller and smaller. What lay within the healthy grass, however, was what made the Uchiha double take.

It was Sasuke _and_ Saukra.

The two lay side by side, unconscious, burn marks all over their bodies, both losing dark blood. Itachi rushes over to the two of them, checking them over. What in the hell happened? The both of them looked completely and utterly exhausted, but yet a small, ever so noticeable smile resided in their features. Shaking his head, and sweating due to the closeness of the heat, he hauls the two of them on his shoulders. The man adjusts the two, hoping that the journey back wouldn't be as bad.

But carrying two people through miles of fire can't possibly be pleasant.

He activates his red Susanoo, hoping for at least a little closure, hoping it doesn't run out before he makes it back to the village. Maybe a hospital could take care of the two of them. He would be fine without treatment, but these two...would they even accept them, being the ninja they are?

But they all were, without a doubt to from the village, regardless of the things they had done. But, they just might think otherwise...

Itachi goes on the move, using his already worn legs to dash through the heat, preserving his energy as much as he can, and the trees fly by. He wants to make it there, he knows he will, the hospital is his goal. He sure as hell would make it.

Ten minutes in and the man is already tired. He's barely able to take another step towards his goal, towards the hospital, but he knows there's only a handful of miles left before the village would come into sight. Sasuke. That thought alone got him to move again. And the light that came into his eyes when he looked at the pink haired girl. How he longed to see it again. So he pushes on.

Within another six minutes, he's back, finally, and the Susanoo around him disappears with a _poof_. Itachi breathes harshly, his heart overloaded, his muscles screaming for mercy, but the hospital is so _close_. With measured steps, he jogs out of the Uchiha compound, pushing himself past the limit, towards the hospital. Out of his old home, down the street, turning this way and that, avoiding buildings.

He finally makes it to the hospital, and finally his journey is almost over, and he's so glad he was able to help someone for a change in his life. With a worn smile, he walks into the building slowly. When he opens the front door, the nurses stare, horrified at his dirtied, tired, and unusual situation. Itachi flashes them a grin before collapsing heavily onto the ground.

...

Tsunade woke up with her head being split in two. That damned man...who was he? For him know to have the Sharingan, who knew? It could be that mysterious man in the Akatsuki, it could've even been Sasuke. Hell, maybe even _Itachi_, of all people. Or, maybe someone she didn't know?

But her head screamed at her to stop overthinking, because everything hurt. With a grunt and a deep, rattling cough, she makes her way to her feet, though slightly unsettled. With a snap of her fingers, she summons ANBU to her side.

"Your wishes, my lady?" one of them asks, bowed. There are three in all, and they all are donned in black gear before the blonde woman.

The blonde closes her eyes, and focuses on taking deep breaths. "Find the perpetrators, now! Bring them to me immediately! They have throughly destroyed the village before any ninja could get their hands on even _one_. This is ridiculous! Ludicrous!"

"Yes," one responds, before all three leave in a quick substitution jutsu.

Tsunade tsks before biting on the nail of her thumb, a stupid habit she had somehow picked up when she was nervous, or worried over something. That man...

"Tsunade-sama," a voice behind her says clearly, and the woman doesn't turn to face the man. His chakra, or rather, their chakra, is all too clear, and the voice, the same.

"Kakashi," she says, "have you come to me to report something important, or will you simply waste my time?"

Slightly taken aback at the words, the man coughs before responding. "It's important."

"Spit it out."

"Naruto and I saw Sakura in the forest just south of the Uchiha District, and later, saw Itachi there," the silver haired stated distinctly.

"But the dumb guy got the jump on us! Stupid smoke bomb," another voice, obviously Naruto, complains. "Sakura, though, she had some weird thing in her hand. But she got the jump on us, too, with that clone. The information makes the Hokage frown, deep in thought.

More chakras make their way over to her, and the blonde turns to see Hinata and Kiba, along with his dog, walking towards them, also. "We encountered Sasuke," Kiba announces, the girl by his side bobbing her head up and down in agreement.

"He had on a dark cloak, and was destroying the village," Hinata follows up quietly.

Everyone takes a moment to let the details sink in.

Tsunade furrows her brows. "Alright. So there are three identified so far- Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Correct? Are there any others?"

"I don't think so, ma'am," Kakashi says. The blonde gives him a small nod. "Then, how did such a team come together?"

Heads shake and shoulders shrug all around. No one knew a thing.

The Hokage grits her teeth. "So we're back to square one, with no information."

The ninjas look disheartened, and the blonde sighs softly. She's been too worked up, too hard on them. She opens her mouth, about to cheer them up a bit when a low squeal sounds through the air. "A messenger bird?" the woman asks with furrowed brows. The bird lands on her outstretched arm, and the shinobi around her watch with wide eyes as she reaches out for the message attached to its foot.

"'The hospital needs your help desperately, Tsunade-sama. There are two critically injured patients, and their identities will shock you. It is best you come in person to look at this'," Tsunade reads.

She quickly wraps up the paper and takes off at a sprint for the hospital. "You all, douse the flames! Try to find other critically injured people, if any! After, come to the hospital!"

The group exchanged a quick round of nods before scattering.

...

Tsunade rushes into the hospital and donned herself in the gear befitting to a nurse, an amazing one at that, and quickly goes to the front desk. "What did you need me for?"

"Tsunade-sama, that was quick!" the girl squeaks from behind the counter, and the blonde's lips thin into a line. "What. Am. I. Here. For?" she grits again, and the nurse shut up and gets it.

She retrieves a clipboard of the patient's status from beneath her desk and hands it to Tsunade. "3rd Floor, 2nd, 6th, and 3rd rooms."

"Thank you." A brisk nod later, and Tsunade departs.

She enters the stairway, because it's much faster than the slow elevator, and runs up as fast as her legs could take her, and it doesn't take long at all. Less than half a minute later she's there, in the patient's room, looking down on a very familiar teenager.

"Sakura Haruno," she breathes, widening her eyes. The girl was alone, her burns and bruises having already being treated, and and sleeps deeply. The sound of the rushed movement from the blonde, however, rips her out of her dreams and throws her back into reality. "Tsu...nade-sama," she pants, obviously still out of it.

"You've returned," is all the Hoksge manages, and the pink haired nods dumbly. The sight of her pupil, all damaged, is too much, and the woman excuses herself from the room.

Moving on to the next patient, she entered the 3rd room on the floor, to see none other than the infamous Uchiha Sasuke on the cot, in a state no better than Sakura's. Except, he is awake, and staring at...

_Itachi Uchiha_.

Tsunade pauses, eyes wide, almost choking on air at the two dangerous ninja. At her presence, Itachi's eyes open, and look at Sauske briefly before turning to meet Tsunade's. His eyes remain dark, a sign he does not want to fight.

"Lady Tsunade," he begins in a low voice, "how surprised you must be."

The woman gathers her wits, coughing into her hands before frowning. "Understatement of the year," she responds, sitting prim and proper in the doctor's chair, a healthy ways away from the Uchihas. "What brings you here, the both of you? And Sakura, how did she end up with you two? How and why are you hurt, and why have you destroyed Konoha?"

Sasuke raises his eyebrows at the barrage of questions, still fighting the drugs that pull him to sleep, but Itachi simply smirks. "It's a story too winding and too long."

"I have time," Tsunade counters.

"L- Let me join, too," a weak voice at the door says, and the Hokage turns to see Sakura leaning heavily against the door frame, shuddering under the strain of movement.

"Go back to bed," Tsnuade orders firmly, "you need rest."

Sakura ignored the woman before hobbling awkwardly across the floor, taking a seat next to Itachi. "I need to be in this discussion, too," the pink haired says with narrowed eyes at Taunade, as if daring her to say another word on her needing to rest.

The blonde eyes her for a bit before sighing. Sakura always was the rebellious type when it came to things such as this.

"So," Tsunade says, straightening her uniform. She looks at Itachi in the eye. "Start from the beginning."

...

"Everyone's done, correct?" the jounin asks the group, still panting from their hurried sprint. "No injuries? All flames, out?"

Naruto flashes his sensei a knowing smile, followed by a thumbs up. "Of course! You can always count on me, Kakashi-sensei."

"Ah, well," the man grunts, focusing on the state of the village rather than his attention-begging student. "It does seem as though most of flames are out. So, injuries?"

"None," Kiba says, and Kakashi nods curtly. "Good."

"S- Should we report to Tsunade-sama?" inquires Hinata, wringing her hands.

"Yeah, probably," goes Naruto, and little roses blossom on the girl's cheeks.

Kakashi gives a single nod, and the group runs towards the intended hospital, where their Hokage resided. They soon arrive, and walk towards the front desk. The kind lady, who understood the dire situation, quickly directs them to the floor in which the blonde woman resided, along with her patients. After a brisk walk up the steps and wonder-filled whispers, they come to the door. Before they open it, however, a familiar voice to all of them drifts from behind it.

"Beginning, huh?" the voice asks.

"_Sasuke_," Naruto grits with narrowed eyes, and he is a mere second from breaking down then door when a pale, soft hand finds his shoulder and holds him back. "Naruto-kun," she whispers.

He backs off.

"Please," the Hokage says firmly, and Sasuke sighs. Then, he begins the tale of Sakura's needing his help, their encounter with Tobi, Konoha ninja, and Itachi, the bomb, Sakura wanting to save everyone herself, and his saving her. He talks for hours on end, to the listening ears of Itachi, who pitches in here and there, Sakura, who simply nods to confirm some parts, and Naruto and his gang. Last, but not least, Tsunade, who closes her eyes, listening closely to the winding tale.

...

When Sasuke finally finishes, even he is worn out, and he leans on Itachi for support (oh, how the man was going to tease him later!). Tsunade sighs and rubs her temples.

"So, in the end, you were still looking to help Konoha, correct?" Tsunade asks, and the Uchihas are almost embarrassed at the blunt question. A quiet "yes" sounds from Sakura, however, who over the hours became well enough to still up and talk a little.

"You all may come in now," the blonde sighs, staring at the door, "your presences aren't exactly quiet."

The door opens and the whole crew stumbles in, questions blurting from their mouths. Though, one wouldn't have to look far if they wanted to guess who the loudest of the bunch was. "Sasuke!" screams the orange clad teen, "Did you really want to save the village by destroying it? It that really, really, _really_ true?"

The teen turns and narrows his eyes at him, crossing his pale arms. "If I didn't, then why would I be here, dobe?"

"What did you just call me?" Naruto grunts. His hands already balled into angry fists.

"Enough," the Hokage says calmly, and the ninjas pause. "We'll let them stay in the village for the time being. The villagers are already repairing, and the ninjas are guiding them. All misunderstandings will also be cleared. So. Everything is coming to an end."

The crew around her quiets, and Tsunade smiles. "Hey. I'm thankful to you three."

Itachi grunts, Sakura manages a weak smile, and Sasuke just huffs.

"Oi, that's no way to treat the Hokage, Sasuke," Naruto sneers, his crystal eyes staring daggers into the teen's unruly locks.

"Get off my case, damn it!" yells Sasuke, who immediately recoils due to his injuries.

While the two get into yet another argument, the Hokage simply watches with an amused smile. Kakashi matches her expression. "Everything turned out alright, somewhat, in the end, huh?"

"Yeah," the woman resounds, and she is greeted by Itachi.

"I am honestly sorry door casting that genjutsu on you, ma'am," he apologizes, bowing slightly. Tsunade is astonished by his actions. So it was Itachi, huh?

"Don't worry about it, you had the village's safety at risk," she brushes off, "if I were you, I'd do the same thing."

"Yes," he says, taking a final bow before returning to his seat.

"Everything is fine," Tsunade says again, looking into the sky.

_Really...Thank you._

**How was the ending! A little iffy to me, since writer's block is threatening to take over everything XD I hope you enjoyed this story and thanks for sticking around until the end. Thank you!**


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